News

The Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb concluded its 2025/2026 season on Saturday, 4 July, with the presentation of its annual awards for outstanding artistic achievements in Drama, Opera and Ballet. For the first time, an award was also presented in the Technical Department. The ceremony was followed by a large open-air closing concert on the square in front of the theatre, attended by numerous citizens and theatre enthusiasts. The General Manager of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, Dr Iva Hraste Sočo, presented the awards to this year's recipients and congratulated them on their exceptional artistic achievements and contribution to the artistic excellence of the Theatre.

The Mila Dimitrijević Award for Best Female Dramatic Performance was presented to Ana Begić Tahiri for her portrayal of Mrs Cheveley in An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde, which premiered on 5 June 2026 in a production directed by Aleksandar Popovski. The Mila Dimitrijević Award for Best Male Dramatic Performance was awarded to Krešimir Mikić for his portrayal of Lord Goring in the same production.

The Marijana Radev Award for Best Female Opera Performance of the 2025/2026 season was presented to soprano Evelin Novak for her portrayal of Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhäuser. The Vladimir Ruždjak Award was presented to baritone Ljubomir Puškarić for two outstanding performances during the season: Amonasro in Verdi's Aida and Wolfram von Eschenbach in Wagner's Tannhäuser.

The annual Ana Roje Award was presented to Hinako Shinzaki, who made an exceptional artistic breakthrough during the season, establishing herself as one of the most promising young artists of the Croatian National Theatre Ballet in Zagreb. The Oskar Harmoš Award for Best Male Ballet Performance was presented to Principal Dancer Pavel Savin in recognition of the outstanding artistic achievements through which he once again confirmed his status as one of the leading interpreters of the classical ballet repertoire.

This season also marked the introduction of a new award, presented for the first time in the history of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb: the Dražen Martinjak Žika Award for the Outstanding Member of the Technical Department. The inaugural recipient was long-serving Technical Department employee Nevenka Čubanec, honoured for her many years of dedicated service, exceptional professionalism and invaluable contribution to the work of the Theatre throughout her career.

The recipients of the annual awards were selected by the Drama, Opera and Ballet award committees. The Drama Committee consisted of Chair Helena Buljan and members Željka Turčinović and Dr Martina Petranović. The Opera Committee was chaired by Zrinka Matić, with members Dr Hana Breko Kustura and Dr Zdenka Weber. The Ballet Committee consisted of Chair Dubravko Kolšek and members Svebor Sečak and Mateja Pučko Petković.

"This year's award recipients have once again demonstrated the exceptionally high artistic standards of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb's ensembles, while the newly established Dražen Martinjak Žika Award further highlights that the success of a theatre depends not only on the artists on stage but also on the dedicated work of everyone behind the scenes," said General Manager Dr Iva Hraste Sočo.

Following the award ceremony, the square in front of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb was transformed into a large open-air stage where the Theatre's artists celebrated the end of the season together with a large audience. The concert, The Nineties – The Years We Remember, conceived by Ante Gelo, was presented in cooperation with the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, Jutarnji list, and with the support of the Zagreb Tourist Board.

Together with the performers, the audience sang along to many timeless hits that defined the 1990s, including Moja domovina, Za dobra stara vremena, Da te mogu pismom zvati, Neka cijeli ovaj svijet, Mojoj majci, Sve još miriše na nju, and many others.

Performing on stage were Drama ensemble members Iva Mihalić, Dušan Bućan, Igor Kovač, Lana Barić, Lana Ujević Telenta, Ivan Colarić, Ana Begić Tahiri, Marin Klišmanić and Jelena Perčin, joined by guest performers Lovro Juraga and Rok Juričić. Representing the Ballet ensemble were Helena Troha, Mario Diligente, Mutsumi Matsuhisa, Adam Harris, Diana Montes Mota, Mario Charlo Sobrino, Vera Kreitmeyer, Laura Leko, Luna Jušić, Katarina Bužić and Afrodita Siljanoska, while Opera soloists Tvrtko Stipić, Darijan Ivezić, Toma Vlčev and Marija Dražančić also took part in the concert.

A special surprise of the evening was a guest appearance by one of the biggest Croatian pop stars of the 1990s, Tajči. The evening reached its emotional climax with a performance of Laku noć tebi, Zagrebe, sung together by all the performers and the audience.

With standing ovations, singing and dancing, the closing concert transformed the square in front of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb into a vibrant meeting place for artists and audiences alike. In an atmosphere of togetherness, emotion and the greatest musical hits of the 1990s, the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb brought its 2025/2026 season to a memorable close.